Nintendo bringing classic Mario games to the Wii for $30

Ready to re-buy some Mario? Nintendo is releasing a new port of Super Mario …

Nintendo knows how to sell you Mario, and it knows how to do that very well. On December 12 there will be a new collection of Mario games for the Nintendo Wii, released for $29.99. What do you get for that money? Sadly, not much in the way of new content, but this is probably cheaper than buying a copy of Super Mario All-Stars on the Super Nintendo.

Here's what you get on the disc:

The games included in the Super Mario All-Stars collection are Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3. Each game features the enhanced graphics and updated sound from the Super NES Super Mario All-Stars collection, and all four can be played on the Wii system using one of several controllers: the Wii Remote controller, Classic Controller, Classic Controller Pro or the Nintendo GameCube controller.

There is also a soundtrack CD with the classic music and selections from some of the more modern Mario titles, as well as a 32-page art book with details about the creation of the game, interviews, and behind-the-scenes tidbits.

I have to admit, I'm personally tempted by this, although I feel like I've bought and rebought these games way too many times through the years. What do you think, worth the money?

Fortunately I haven't bought any since the original, so getting this seems like a good deal (and my last new purchase for quite a while- I'll have to be happy with this and SC2 for a good long while). I would have liked if they had at least included Donkey Kong (at least the original, if not the old arcade sequels) and the original Mario Bros. game.

$30 is way too much for games that are 20-25 years old at this point. These games are older than their target audience! Probably not as old as the target market for this pack though.

The soundtrack CD and artbook are cute, but I have a feeling that anybody who really cares about it already owns all of the music on the CD and will look at the artbook once and be done with it. This is a pretty blatant nostalgia cash-in and the price is much too high IMHO.

Including Super Mario World would have made me at least consider it at that price point.

I have purchased Mario 1, 2 and 3 on the NES, Mario All-Stars on the SNES, and Mario 1, 2 and 3 again on the Wii Virtual Console. If this was a $10 SNES VC download, I'd do it, but for $30, no way. I'm not buying these games a fourth time over for as much as a new title.

Or as others have said, included more. I'd pay $30 if it included the SNES All Stars, Mario World, Yoshi's Island, Mario 64, and Mario Sunshine, but that's the only way to get me to pay that much for these games again.

They should take a look at the Sonic Collection for the GC, and how much content was included on that for $30.

I couldn't see myself spending much time on these before moving on to something more recent. Either more games or a lower price might me. Personally, I'd rather get the God of War collection for PS3 which is going for the same $30 on amazon right now.

Are these games all available on the virtual console for $5? If so, you could buy them separately for cheaper. Of course, you don't get the updated graphics/sound, but I like them better that way, just like the original Star Wars trilogy

I would be more tempted by a book and DVD detailing the development of Mario from inception to now and showing never before seen internal concept art and the offices at Nintendo, maybe early versions of the game etc. Miyamoto with big hair. Basically a Nintendo authorized documentary of the birth of Mario (and in some ways the rebirth of the videogaming industry). That I would buy in a heartbeat.

As good as the games are, I want to support innovation, not encourage companies to sit on their IP. They should be encouraged (=forced) to develop new IP, not be rewarded for conservatism and easy cash-ins.

Those games as fabulous, but on the ethical scale it's like releasing games based on a movie license, except this time the license is Mario itself (and the game doesn't suck). Easy cash, but no. Those game should be dirt cheap or left to rest, not because we're entitled to them, but because only hungry companies will advance gaming. Nintendo has been rehashing IP for to long, and if those weren't so successful commercially they wouldn't have cannibalised most innovation on the Wii. Keep Myamoto producing games, but give their chance to innovative young people too, and let them wild. Can't believe Nintendo is still but a one-man show, and I'm scared for the day he retires.

The weird thing is, the original Super Mario All-Stars is one of the all-time greatest examples of how to do a rerelease that's NOT a lazy port. It overhauled every game in the collection and added significant value.

And now it gets a straight port with way-outed graphics and sound, which is the exact opposite of its original spirit.

Super Mario World was the best, but it's absent. Updated graphics is nice, but not $30 nice. The sound took very little work if they just imported it from newer Mario games. I think the classic Mario teat has been milked dry. The cash cow is dead.

How is this different from what's already available on the Virtual Console? (I'm not being snarky; I'm just not very familiar with what's available already.)

I suppose the art book and CD are nice, if you're into that sort of thing. But are the games any different from what's on the VC?

Short answer? Better graphics and sound, but far from current graphics standards.

The ones on VC have the original sound and graphics of the 8-bit NES games. They were all updated in the 16-bit era, with improved graphics and sound, and put on one SNES cartridge called Super Mario All-Stars. This is a direct port of the 16-bit re-release.

Nintendo are like the George Lucas of Videogames, I half expect a 3D version soon, as well as Mario 1 - 3 in new super CGI-like gfx, or Mario Episode 1.

I loved both Mario Galaxy games, but it's about time for something new. I can already "improve" the old Mario games via a emulator and some pixel shader magic, heck, one can improve all the Wii games via Dolphin running 1080p and AA.

Nth-ing Super Mario World, with an added 'why can't they use some of the features from the GBA games?'

It's the same problem I have with the old Mario games on VC. the VC games could have been so much better; give us the All-Stars versions as an option in addition to the NES version, with the red coins and stuff they added in the later games. Make a definitive edition or something, with a way to play the old-school vanilla style for purists.

I was miffed when the PSN version of Final Fantasy Tactics was just the old PS1 version, and ditto for the 360/PSN versions of SotN. I'm no developer, so I guess it's more complicated than I'd think, but still, add some value here! You do it for the handheld owners but nobody else?

I'll probably still buy it, just for the art book and stuff and the ease of not needing to set up a laptop with an emulator for the TV to play it. But I won't enjoy it <fist-shake>!

You guys and gals aren't thinking about this with your corporate pants on. The *next* collection will contain the SNES games, followed by a third collection with the N64 games and then finally the GC collection of Mario games.

I don't know whether to make a nickel-and-dime, milking or beating the dead horse comment. Maybe milking the dead horse for nickels?

How is this different from what's already available on the Virtual Console? (I'm not being snarky; I'm just not very familiar with what's available already.)

I suppose the art book and CD are nice, if you're into that sort of thing. But are the games any different from what's on the VC?

The VC versions don't have the updated SNES graphics. The VC versions are the NES originals.

These will look and sound prettier.

EDIT: And I do mean a lot prettier. These are the definitive versions of the games...the only reasons I never bought these games on VC was because I was holding out for the eventual release of this collection...but not like this.

Anonymous Freak wrote:

Yeah, I have all of those from the Virtual Console already, no need to get them all on disc, too...

Well, you get better graphics. Significantly better.

However, the fact that this was a SNES cartridge (that game list is, IIRC, the exact same as the SNES release of Super Mario All Stars) makes this release a load of crap. This should have been a VC release of the SNES game, not a $30 retail release.

Thad Boyd wrote:

The weird thing is, the original Super Mario All-Stars is one of the all-time greatest examples of how to do a rerelease that's NOT a lazy port. It overhauled every game in the collection and added significant value.

And now it gets a straight port with way-outed graphics and sound, which is the exact opposite of its original spirit.

Indeed. There are only two ways this release would not have been a blatant and ugly cash-grab. Either A) release it as a VC release of the SNES cart (wait long enough after the original games are released to VC to cash in twice if you really must) or B) re-do the collection in the new 3D-rendered 2D style of the new games.

I'd have paid retail for the latter. I'd have paid normal VC prices for the former. This? No. Just no.

t3g raises a very good point - Nintendo is hugely reliant on Mario and Zelda. When Shigeru Miyamoto retires (or in all likelihood dies - I don't see him quitting) Nintendo will really be up shit creek without a paddle. They're not pushing much in the way of new IP anymore, and they're not (and never have been) a great partner for third party developers.

Mario games are still good, but I don't really look at them anymore...I'm tired of Mario. When Wii 4 or whatever is released 20 years down the track and they can't bring out a decent Mario or Zelda game anymore, they're going to be back where they were last generation...supported by a dedicated and quite small group of die hard fans, but without much else to draw people in.